Locomotive driving wheel center



Nov. '22, 1949 o. c. PETERSON LOCOMOTIVE DRIVING WHEEL CENTER Filed 001;. 9, 1946 Patented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITED OFFICE LOCQMQTIVrE LGENTER (Application .October. 9, 1946, Serial No. 702,137

" 6 Glaims. (01.1295 6) This invention relates to applying; .the recom- .-.mendations of .the A. .A. 3.. Manual. otCouhterbalance; for Reciprocating. Steam Locomotives, 'Julyl, .1945, which provides'a main-counterbalance for the-crank; .pin and .otherparts. associated lwitheach .driving wheelandacross counterbalance, .or -auxiliarycounterbalance, for the things associated with .theoppositeidriying wheel .on .thesame .axle.

:A difficult problem arises in providing a driv- .i.ing Wheel foruseonseveral classes or locomotives using the same sizeof wheelsbut having different counterbalance,conditions. .And the specific object of this invention is to rovide ,for varying .the

"amount,ofcounterbalance to suit different requirements without disturbingthe center of gravityof that materiaLor varyingits position laterally.

Generallyspeaking, this is accomplished ,by

' forming. a pocket in, the wheel ,large..enough for the greatest amount .of counterbalance material .to be used and. reducing'the capacity of the pocket in other instances by placinga tubelof. suitable size across the pocket centrally andfinserting the counterbalance,material,such as molten lead, in 2 l-"4 0i Fig.8.

jBut these-specific'drawingsand-the c0rrespond-.. "ing description are chosen 'for the-purpose ;of disclosure only and "merely illustrate theinvention.

'* They are-notintendedto impose any unnecessary limitations on the claims.

Fig. 1 shows a driving wheel center, generally indicated by H), having a main hub H and a crank pin hub l2. On the side of the wheel center I0, opposite to the crank pin' hub i2, is a main counterbalance indicated generally by [3. As all of these things are somewhat a matter of selection as to general construction and detail, this general description is deemed sufiicient.

A cross counterbalance or auxiliary counterbalance arrangement is shown generally at I4 in Fig. 1 and in section in Fig. 2. The basis of this arrangement is a pocket defined by a cir- "cumscribing wall l5, a back wall It here shown as integral with the circumscribing wall and the wheel center, and a front wall I! here shown as a separate cover plate made fast by three screws 2 18.. and circumferentialwelding .to the wheeLcenter and ,thewall 5 at. l9. "-Whenthe .pocketds just large enough for the .maximumtamount (it-auxiliary counterbalance or crosscounterbalance material, itis only necessary toremove .the coveriplate ll insert the material (for example, .molten lead); replace the cover plate l'l,.insert the-screws J8, and do the welding. l9.

When the counterbalance conditions require a less. amount ofcounterbalance material, the cover platehtl iiSzbOIBdDlll? centrallyatill to receive a ..tube-.2.l,.which is inserted-through that bored opening .untilitsinner end restsagainst the back -.\vall..t6, when :it is welded to that wall, as indi- -catedgatiz. Then the cover plate llbeing removed, the counterbalance material is poured into .the space and fills .the .annular portion of ithe pocket as..indicated at 23. Thereafter, the .covenplatell.is.put. on, .fastened by the screws I8, -and welded..-at I8. By varyingithe diameter of the .tube.2-! ,the amount of counterbalance materialZS .maybe variedtosuit vthe. conditions.

..An.other counterbalance arrangement is. shown generally at 26 in Fig. 3, and in cross sectionin .l ig..=.4. ..Inthis.instance,..the pocket is defined by -acircumscribing.wall. Mia fixed rear "wall. H6, and a flXediront wallH. -As. anincident to mold- .ing such .apocket inthe wheel, there will be con- ...centric.corehOlesin each vof-.,ithe walls H6 and "ill, oneof which,..211,,,is -.shown at the left in .Fig. fl vWhereitis.filled with a disk or plug 28 .secured inplaceby. being welded at'29 to the mar- 111 or the. core hole. ',The other core hole has jdisanpeared due to a boring operation by which a hole "Ellis provided in the rear wall H6 to admit .wtube 3;l ,:".the outer .end of which is brought againstthe walllll' and weldedthereto, as indicated at 32. The outer end is welded to the wall l 16, as indicated at 33. The counterbalance 34 is then inserted into the annular pocket through a pouring hole 3'5 in the wall ll'l, after which that hole is closed by a threaded plug, or a welded plug, or both.

These two illustrations will serve to indicate to others how to vary the quantity of counterbalance material without shifting it laterally or throwing the center of gravity out of position, and they will vary the form of the pocket and the other details to suit personal preference and individual conditions.

I claim:

1.'A locomotive driving wheel comprising, a wheel center having a concentric main hub and an eccentric crank pin hub, a main counterbalance eccentrically mounted on said wheel center and having its center of gravity diametrically opposite the center of gravity of said crank pin hub, and an auxiliary cross counterbalance formed eccentrically in said wheel center having its center of gravity at a location spaced approximately ninety degrees from the respective centers of gravity of said main counterbalance and said crank pin hub and comprising a generally cylindrical pocket open at one end, a cylindrical tube secured at one end to the closed end of said pocket within and concentric with the latter to form an annular chamber, a cover plate secured to said tube and to said wheel center around said pocket to close said chamber, and counterbalance material molded within said chamber.

2. In a locomotive driving wheel center having a concentric main hub and an eccentric crank pin hub, an auxiliary cross counterbalance formed eccentrically in said wheel center having its center of gravity at a location spaced approximately ninety degrees from the center of gravity of said crank pin hub and comprising a generally cylindrical pocket open at one end, a cylindrical tube secured at one end to the closed end of said pocket within and concentric with the latter to form an annular chamber, a cover plate secured to said tube and to said wheel center around said pocket to close said chamber, and counterbalance material molded within said chamber.

3. The method of cross 'counterbalancing a locomotive driving wheel which includes forming a generally cylindrical pocket in the wheel, fixing centrally in the pocket a tube substantially smaller in diameter than said pocket to form with the walls of said pocket an annular space having a volume substantially equivalent to that filled by the weight of counterbalance material required to cross counterbalance said locomotive wheel, filling said pocket about said tube with said counterbalance material, and closing and reinforcing said pocket and resulting contents with a closure plate securely attached to said Wheel.

4. The method of cross counterbalancing a locomotive driving wheel which includes forming a generally cylindrical pocket in the wheel, fixing centrally in the pocket a tube substantially smaller in diameter than said pocket to form with the walls of said pocket an annular space having a volume substantially equivalent to that filled by the weight of counterbalance material required to cross counterbalance said locomotive wheel, pouring molten counterbalance material into and substantially filling the annular space surroundin the tube, cooling and solidifying said 4 molten counterbalance material, and closing and reinforcing said pocket and resulting contents with a closure plate securely attached to said wheel.

5. The method of counterbalancing and cross counterbalancing a locomotive driving wheel having a crank pin hub thereon which includes the steps of providing a main counterbalance weight on said wheel having its center of gravity spaced approximately one hundred eighty degrees from the center of gravity of said crank pin hub, forming a generally cylindrical pocket in said wheel at a location spaced approximately ninety degrees from the centers of gravity of said crank pin hub and said main counterbalance weight, positioning in the central portion of said pocket a tube chosen from a plurality of tubes of different diameters to form with the walls of said pocket an annular space having a volume substantially equivalent to that filled by the weight of counterbalance material required to cross counterbalance said locomotive wheel, securely fixing said tube centrally to the back wall of said pocket, substantially filling the annular space thus provided within said pocket with counterbalance material, and closing and reinforcing said pocket and resulting contents with a closure plate securely attached to said wheel.

6. The method of crossbalancing a locomotive driving Wheel which includes the steps of forming a generally cylindrical pocket eccentrically in said Wheel, selectively positioning in the central portion of said pocket a tube chosen from a plurality of tubes of different diameters to form an annular space having a volume substantially equivalent to that filled by the weight of counterbalance material required to cross counterbalance said locomotive wheel, securely fixing said tube centrally to the back wall of said pocket, substantially filling the annular space thus provided within said pocket with counterbalance material, and closing and reinforcing said pocket and resulting contents with a closure plate securely attached to said wheel.

OSCAR CARL PETERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,960,302 Doerr May 29, 1934 1,976,546 Doerr Oct. 9, 1934 2,106,590 Boegehold Jan. 25, 1938 2,262,004 Jabelmann Nov. 11, 1941 2,285,138 Ainsworth June 2, 1942 

